Art: HIDDEN MASTERPIECES: Brueghel's Proverbs

ALMOST a century ago a Belgian knight named Fritz Mayer van den Bergh
began collecting art objects. He concentrated on Northern Renaissance
examples, amassed some 1,000 pieces of high quality before his death in
1901. To hold the collection as a memorial, his mother founded the
Mayer van den Bergh Museum. Tucked away in Antwerp's banking district
and unchanged in 55 years, the museum is open every day except Monday
in the summertime, and on even-numbered days all winter, charges only 5
francs (10¢) admission. Yet the number of visitors annually is under
5,000. Art historians love the place, but few...